


Lost in the City

by Frapunella



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Android!Germany, F/M, Reader-Insert, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 06:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7791295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frapunella/pseuds/Frapunella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You finally get that fancy apartment in the city—but! There's a catch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

You were getting off a taxi a little past 10PM. You were finally here—the city! Normally, you would have been unloading a produce truck, but after all that hard work; working all night at the market and building up your writing portfolio during the day, you had finally landed a job in the editorial department as a rookie editor. Fortunately, you had connections with people in the area who were willing to give you a place to stay. Ah, the perks of knowing a bartender.  
  
You thanked the driver and watched as the yellow car sped off into the distance. Really. People here always seemed to be late for a date. You turned your head, taking in a long breath as you saw the flashy hotel. You remembered the manager's words. "I'm only letting you stay for the time that you have a job. Once you're unemployed, you have a day to pack up." Was it really okay to stay here? Geeze...  
  
You dragged your lone rolling luggage case behind you as your heels clicked against the light, marble tiles. You stopped at the concierge to check in, then maneuvered your way to the elevator and let it take you to where you needed to be, according to your room number. At first it felt nice to get on an elevator for the first time, it was cool. Especially because you had never been on one before, coming from the suburbs and all. But the feeling soon went away when you realized how long it was taking for it to just stop moving. You were almost going to sit down when you finally heard that final "ding!" and the doors opened. You noticed first that the doors to these rooms were actually quite large. Not only that, but they were split doors, and it didn't seem like the room entrances were anywhere close to each other. There had to be one door on every wall, at most. These city people sure liked their things fancy.  
  
However, it was when you slid the card on the scanner and opened the door did you finally realize something was off.  
  
The first things that caught your eye were the two large, ceiling-to-floor windows that took up almost all of the wall facing the outside. From your angle, a wall blocked your view of the bed—besides a little glimpse of the corner, which was covered with a blanket that looked... Furry? The floor was made from a dark, glossy tile that looked like marble and you saw a sturdy desk and rolling chair neatly tucked to the side.  
  
Your jaw dropped, your luggage rolled backwards, and the phone rang. This wasn't a regular room.  
  
You turned and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear awkwardly before bending down and picking up the roller's handle and closing the door quietly. The ringing seemed to get louder as you snooped around the room a little more. First of all, the bed was huge. Too huge. Huge enough for an elephant, in your shocked eyes.  
  
The phone was still ringing... There was a table below a mirror with glass for the table. The phone sat right on the side. You picked it up, finally.  
  
"H-hello?"  
  
"Miss _____?"  
  
"Yes, that's... That's me."  
  
"It's Ricky. The manager?"  
  
"Oh, good..." You breathed a sigh of relief, one he seemed to hear because he was laughing on the other end.  
  
"Haha, you probably thought you were given the wrong suite, am I right?" More laughing. "Pretty sweet deal, though, right? I know. I'm awesome. No need to thank me. There is a catch, though. You listening?"  
  
Great. A catch. Although why wouldn't it, with it's grandeur? You sighed. "I'm listening, pal."  
  
You heard a smile in his voice now. "Don't worry, it's not that bad. No, actually it's a pretty sweet bonus to the room, okay?"  
  
Ring!  
  
"Oh, hold on one second." You said as you put the phone on the glass and scurried to the door. You looked through the little peep hole and turned the knob once you saw the employee's uniform and clipboard.  
  
The woman smiled at you sweetly before giving you the clipboard. And a pen "You're Miss _____, right?" You nodded and took the clipboard from her. "Please sign for this package." She said politely. You nodded before seeing her pull the package into your line of sight and sign the form. "Thank you! She said, pulling a tall box into your living room and leaving. You stared at it briefly before picking the phone up again.  
  
"You still there? Sorry, I got—"  
  
"—a package, I know. That's your catch."  
  
"The package?"  
  
"Well, the thing inside it. Why don't you go open it. Put me on speaker phone." You nodded and hurried an "okay," rushing over to the mysterious box. It had to be at least 6'! A person could fit in there!! But.. How were you going to open it? You didn't bring scissors.  
  
"Go ahead and open it, don't be shy. The person who delivered it should have left a box opener." You looked to the floor, and there it was. You picked it up immediately and looked up at the box curiously. Taking the blade, you tippy-toed to break the tape and pulled the box opener down. Packing peanuts spilled at your feet instantly and you suddenly felt like someone was watching you from within the box. "Don't be alarmed, he's friendly!"  
  
Turning to the phone with a puzzled look on your face, you repeated that last word out loud. "Friendly—?" You almost choked when you looked back up and your gaze met with grey orbs. He had nothing on besides a pair of black boxers and he was just standing in the open box. You scrambled away from him suddenly, but lost your footing and tripped backwards. You let out a squeal as you hit ground—Except, you didn't hit the ground because muscular arms came forward to rescue you in the blink of an eye.  
  
You looked uncomfortably at his chest, then at his face. He was attractive, buff, blonde with slicked back hair, did you mention attractive? He was also half naked and you had no idea why he was there. "Can you hear me??" Okay, maybe you had somewhat of an idea. You mumbled your thanks to the man and rushed to the phone. You could feel slate gray eyes never leave you.  
  
"Rick, why is there a guy in that box!?! And why is he only wearing boxers???" Life questions here. You glanced back briefly at said boxer-clad, packaged man.  
  
"He's Android 7. We're planning on making more of his kind for guests as a personal servant—he can cook, clean, do the laundry, baby-sit. Heck, he's even equipped with a drivers license and a food tanker. You could take him out on dates if you wanted to!"  
  
"Okay, so let me guess..."  
  
"We need you to test him out. We'll let you keep him afterwards, too, if you say you like him!" You sighed again, all the happiness was going to fly out of your life like this.  
  
"That shouldn't be too bad. What should I do for clothes? I can't have him walking around like this all the time..."  
  
"He was designed so that he would be attractive enough for people not to care..."  
  
"HE NEEDS CLOTHES."  
  
"He has car keys and a card that charges to the company. You just need to take him out. It's late, you shouldn't have a problem with staring on the streets if you go now... Why don't you get acquainted and head down to the mall?"  
  
"Ricky... This is..."  
  
"The only way your staying at the hotel! I'm looking for a page essay about what you think of him at the end of three months. If he has any glitches before then, let me know."  
  
"Rick..."  
  
"I'll be in touch. Extension 435 if you need me. Bye!" Click!  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Ugh... What now... This was so awkward. Looking at the android gave you chills, his eyes were so cold... Plus he hasn't breathed a word since you hung up on Ricky. You rubbed your arms in an attempt to get rid of the goosebumps on them. "I'm _____." You said in a friendly tone. He nodded, letting you know he was listening to you.  
  
It felt like he was paying too much attention to you, though. You felt self-conscious under his gaze. Once you broke eye contact he finally spoke.  
  
"I am Android 7." There was a certain ring to his voice, and an accent. He by no means sounded like a robot like you had expected. In fact, he spoke fluidly; and it seemed he even had a German accent. They really tried hard to make him attractive—although who was complaining? He was a hunk! "You are pleased with my aesthetic design."  
  
"Huh?!"  
  
"You have kept your eyes on my face and torso, I'm assuming it is partly due to your quirky nature, but staring for that long... And with that expression..."  
  
Was this android flirting with you?! You looked out the window immediately.  
  
"Don't misunderstand, I'm programmed with self-control. I am simply your personal servant." He said with a smirk. You made a little frown when you looked back at him, you already weren't very fond of his bold behavior. He was sending mixed signals, which confused you because he was a robot and he shouldn't have been sending you any signals at all??? You tried to change the subject. Truth be told, you just wanted to get this guy's clothes and hit the hay already.  
  
"Is there another name that you'd like to be called, Android 7?"  
  
"Ludwig Beilschmidt. 28 on my drivers licence. I speak German and English fluently. Others if you'd care to install them. Miss _____, I'd like to finish introductions soon so that you may sleep, my scanner tells me that your curfew is 9 and it is already past 10."  
  
"Yes... That's true..." What else did that scanner say about you??  
  
"That you are 25 years old, studied in Italy from Kindergarten to seventh grade, have a fixation with orchids and gardenias, and also that you make crude sexual references that make you seem experienced, but are actually extremely shy in bed. There is more information, but none you'll be too happy to hear." You stared at him with your mouth slightly ajar. He slowly came up to you and closed it with his finger. "I also know that your bra size is _____ and you like the lacy ones the best."  
  
"Do you have some kind of off button?"  
  
"...I sleep when you do."  
  
"Perhaps you could reset yourself? Surely, there's something wrong with you."  
  
"As you wish." By saying this, his head suddenly hung low, and you could hear a descending noise followed by an escalating sound. The android looked up once more, but something was different in his gaze. Glowing cerulean eyes now focused on you, and you could feel the robot give off a-whole-nother aura as it straightened its posture and looked down at you from its nose. His eyes flickered around briefly before centering on you again. It seemed he had a lapse in memory. Looked like he had everything under control now, though. "We... Are going clothes shopping, ja?"  
  
"Ah... Yeah...." Nice to see someone finally getting to the point.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
"Do you like this one?"  
  
"I don't like the print."  
  
Shrugging, you put the graphic tee back on the rack. He must have rejected at least every shirt that you showed him. You were at a large mall just a few blocks from the hotel, and you were now on your sixth store looking for clothes.  
  
You were able to find him a pair of black, boot-cut pants that he was now wearing, and some more in the bag that he was holding. A few pairs of pajamas and a few undershirts, some simple jeans from Levis, and two suits, but no shirts. A the contents of his bag alone costed half of your yearly salary! First of all, he didn't like prints for some reason. Second, while he looked good in everything he put on, he was sticking to some style that you failed to catch on to. But now that his bottom half was dressed, it was more obvious that he had a very nice build. A little on the bulkier side, but still leaner than an NFL player. An that ass...  
  
"Miss _____, is there something on my back?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You've been staring up and down my back side for a while now. Do you see something?" Oh you saw something alright, but you'd be sure as hell upset if he went to fix it. Or... Wait, what!? You checked your face for drool, then turned to look for more shirts.  
  
"Mr. Beilschmidt, I'm tired..." You said, yawning.  
  
"Call me Ludwig. And I apologize... You can go sleep on one of those display beds and I could—"  
  
"No!!" You shocked yourself with your own tone. The android turned to look at you to see if you were alright. He probably thought you were mentally ill. You walked next to him, sharing his clothes rack. "I'm sorry, I meant, I just wanted to see you try on the clothes... I've never dressed anyone before..."  
  
"You don't have children?"  
  
"I'm 25!" You said, glaring at him. He looked on with the touch of a smile.  
  
"21 is the perfect age for children. Most fertile, to my understanding." You made a face at his back and went silent. So what if you didn't have kids? There was nothing wrong with that, you were just looking for the right person, was that so wrong? "You don't have a significant other, _____?"  
  
You pushed past a few more of the clothes on the rack. You had a boyfriend some time ago, but he was more into his pick-up truck than he was you. Needless to say, the relationship was over in seconds. You shook your head in reply.  
  
He stopped looking through the clothes and focused his attention on you. "I'm surprised. You're very cute, _____. You have a warm heart." You shrugged, actually very sleepy. "I'm very disappointed in society for leaving a woman like you single."  
  
"Thanks, Ludwig." You said, facing him. Your face was warm from those words you were unaccustomed to hearing. You had been alone with no one to understand you for so long... You felt like you could just french him right there. The android smiled warmly at you before lifting the large pile that was in his arm at the fitting room.  
  
"Let's try these on." You could just melt in that voice.  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
He finally got the shirts. Finally. The shoes and accessories were easy as cake to find, especially because the man was knew his perfect size in every manufacturer, all he needed to do was look at the shoe and know if he liked it! You marveled at how human he was—a specific taste in clothes, a silver tongue, modesty, it was like they designed him to be the perfect husband or something!  
  
You were walking home now, he was wearing a black pair of lace-up boots over the hem of his jeans, black washed out Levi's that weren't too tight. A brown belt hooked around his hips and an army green t-shirt sat on his torso. The look was completed with a black leather jacket, sleeves pushed up 2/3 of the way up his forearm, a few dog-tags (that you chose after realizing the look he was going for) casually hanging around his neck and an expensive silver watch with gold accents.  
  
He entwined his fingers with yours, explaining matter-of-fact-ly that he was doing so to keep you out of trouble, especially because it was dark out. Normally, you would have called it bullshit, but he was an android, and the fact that you could act like you had such a cool boyfriend made you feel great. It was a good enough reason for you, to say the least.  
  
The hotel door was at your mercy in moments, and you sighed as you left a trail of your belongings and clothes to the bed, finally crawling onto the King sized mattress and landing on the head pillows face-first. You were only in your underwear and undershirt, having discarded everything on the way there and it felt like heaven. You cracked an eye as you heard the door close and the sound of clothes being gathered up. Soon, the boyfriend-material android walked into your vision and you smiled at his diligence to clean after your mess.  
  
You were really sleepy the , as you called him over to your side. He came and kneeled to meet you gaze, and you put a hand to his head. It was the only way you really know how to show affection—you weren't an overly intimate person. He smiled crookedly as he stared at you, fixing your pillows so that your neck was in a more comfortable position. You giggled as he pulled a blanket over your half-asleep form. "Sweet dreams, miss." He whispered, getting up. You tugged at his shirt before he could walk off somewhere and he simply looked back at you. "Anything else you need?"  
  
"Hold me 'til I fall asleep?" You whispered, yawning. His eyes were wide enough to tell you that he was quite shocked at your request. He nodded and your lids fell, heavy with drowsiness.  
  
You could hear rustling around the room, crinkling of paper, the sound of something being set on the table, clothes folding... When the noise stopped, the lights went off and weight shifted the bed slightly to the new addition. Strong arms wrapped around your arms as you lay on your side, like the hero did the heroine in so many movies that you watched. You thought you felt a kiss on your right temple, but fog blurred your brain functions.  
  
In seconds you were out cold and dreaming of hot men in nothing but tight pants.


	2. Chapter 2

"...iss _____... Miss _____... _____!!" The smell of food lingered in the air, and you swore whatever it was had to be the one thing in the world that you wanted to eat that morning. Ludwig had been trying to wake you up for what seemed like a while, but you were just now coming to. You grunted in response to the shaking, and allowed the man to pull you out of your sheets. Your back ached like hell. "Out of bed now, Frau. Your on location today; I'll drive you to work once you eat breakfast." Once sitting upright in bed, he placed a pile on your lap, pointing to the bathroom with the wooden spoon in his hand. Your eyes flickered to the door, and he nodded, going back to being busy fixing up something else. He was really like a housewife... A better one than you'd be, but hey! What's wrong with that? Right?  
  
You looked down at the neatly stacked pile on your lap, curiously looking through the contents. A pair of soft underwear sat on top of one of your nicer bras—a nice match in colors, you noted—there was a pair of opaque, black stockings underneath them and a simple black dress with a rounded collar and four buttons on the front. It looked new. At the very bottom of the pile was a grey, loose-fitting sweater and a fluffy towel for you to use after your bath.  
  
"Something you don't like?" The android called out, seeing you blankly staring at the pile. He had a knife in his hand now, and was wearing a crisp white apron over his red dress shirt tucked into black slacks. There was a nice belt looped around his waist again, and you couldn't help but think how perfectly it just brought everything together. The socks on his feet reminded you that you were still in the room and you snapped out of the trance.  
  
You could almost cry. Not only was this man perfect in everything he wore and did, but he was fashion savvy in every sense of the word. No doubt you were going to look good in this!  
  
"Ah, no!" You shook your head furiously. "I'm just looking..."  
  
His expression never changed as he nodded in understanding. "Shower quickly, you don't want to be late for work."  
  
You shook your head and scurried off to the bathroom, pile held close to your chest.  
  
~❤~  
  
Walking out of the bathroom refreshed and ready to go, you stopped by the large mirror in the powder room to look at the dress. Just by the look and feel of it, it was a perfect fit for you, with a pleated skirt that flared out and met your knees. You didn't remember buying it at all; you wondered if it was something that was just lying at the bottom of your suit case or something.  
  
"Ludwig, could you zip this up?"  
  
"Yes. Come here."  
  
You complied gladly, thanking everything you had that there was someone to help you with the blasted zipper. Watching as Ludwig wiped his hands on a apron, you turned around so he could get access to the zipper, your arm lingering just a few millimeters away from the pull tab to show him that you just couldn't reach it.  
  
"Cross your arms over your chest for me."  
  
"Okay..." In a swift movement, the android wrapped his arms around you securely, locking his grip at the forearms. He was so close that his nose was practically touching your cheek. You opened your mouth to say something, but the words died in your mouth once his grip on you tightened and you were lifted straight off the ground. Several cracks emanated from your spine, and you could feel the ease of pressure almost instantly. "Oohhhh...." You sighed in relief. You heard a zip behind you and a glass of water was in your hands in a flash. "Thank you, you always know just what I need..." You said, keeping your eyes on the master chef at work as you sat.  
  
"Of course, that is how I was programmed." Youch. Well, there goes the idea that he actually might have had some sort of crush on you. I mean, it's been three months; you'd think a girl would have learned by now.  
  
"I want to make it up to you, though."  
  
"That is not necessary, I am content being with—seeing... that you are safe and successful." There was hesitation in his voice, but you simply played it off as being caused by his multi-tasking. You blinked repeatedly, swearing you could have seen a blush crawl up his ears... You giggled silently to yourself behind his back, that was pretty cute!  
  
Or maybe... It was a trick of the eye? Way to jump to conclusions...  
  
It was just your imagination! Relax! You'd been trying to drop him a hint—or more like nuke him with it, really—that you were into him, but he was either completely not into you, or just did not understand the "hints" that you were trying to drop him! Not that you were throwing your wet underwear in his face (although, technically he did most of the laundry, so he has seen your panties before—and they were never wet!!).  
  
But slick or not, you thought you were being obvious by demanding a goodbye kiss whenever he dropped you off at work.  
  
...Stupid android probably thought it was to keep stalkers away or something. Ugh, knowing that you liked an android that you had the absolute hardest time reading was the worst. Eventually you stopped forcing him to give them to you.  
  
After eating breakfast, he stopped you at the door and looked at you intensely, like he had something to say. His mouth opened and closed, but no words escaped his lips. Instead, he drew a circle in the air, motioning for you to turn around for him; which you did.  
  
"You... You look better in that dress than I had expected. Do you like it?" He smiled at you, a hint of uncertainty playing his features.  
  
Taken aback by his assessment of the garments on your body, you blushed as you stammered a response. "Y-y-yeah, it's really comfortable, too. Did you buy it?"  
  
He smiled more confidently now, "Yes. I... suppose it was on impulse; I noticed you didn't have a black dress in your wardrobe." He said, opening the door for you. You walked through, stopping beside him as he locked it.  
  
"Wow... Thanks, Ludwig." You said quietly. You honestly hadn't expected him to get you anything; his thoughtfulness had you flustered. You would have gotten him something as well if you had known.  
  
There was a silence shared between the both of you as you stood expectantly in the hall way. Silences were a commonality with Ludwig, but something about today was ...different. You kept having the feeling that the German droid had something to say, but it was like he was keeping it from you.  
  
You caught each other's gazes and found that you couldn't pull away. If anything, you felt compelled to move in closer... And closer...  
  
On your tippy toes and noses almost touching, you could feel the tickle of his hot breath on your cheek. Your eyes were lidded, lips almost twitching from anticipation. "Ich l-liebe..." Came a husky whisper from the man's lips.  
  
Only to be cut off by a louder one from down the hall.  
  
"_____! Ludwig!! How's it going?"  
  
Pulling away like the other was hot as lava, you assumed your previous positions, Ludwig pretending to double check that the door was locked. Your hand brushed by his as you checked that the back of your dress was still covering your bottom half and he slyly snaked his fingers into yours. You stood straighter to face Ricky.  
  
"W-w-w-we're—we're—"  
  
Ludwig sighed. "—Sind fein. Just fine." He sounded annoyed; but not at you, at the man in front of you. "We need to leave. Else you'll be late." Ignoring any further questions, he pulled you in the opposite direction and dashed for the elevator.  
  
"Hey, just know it's been three months! I need that assessment soon!" You heard a grumble about coming back later, but it was almost inaudible considering the distance.  
  
Three months... It had already been three months! You had been writing your report on and off since Ludwig was activated, but for sure it had turned into a semi-autobiography of your life with him after you started to develop feelings for him. It was like you had been dating for the past few months. And you know what they say about the third month in a relationship—oh. Never mind that, you were getting carried away. You'd have to look at it later, and fix it up so it was ready to go.  
  
Getting away from that, though. Something was going on with Ludwig.  
  
He hadn't been himself lately. Instead of being direct like he always was, he seemed to be carrying a secret around. Sometimes he avoided your questions if they were personal; other times he would hesitate or start to say something, only to say something else. You really hoped he wasn't malfunctioning, and you found yourself very worried about him.  
  
And before he was interrupted, he was saying something that sounded like German...  
  
Ich liebe...?  
  
You knew enough German to know that roughly meant "I love," but... what was he going to say afterwards?  
  
You?  
  
Was it "you?"  
  
You hadn't the faintest clue what "you" was in German, or if grammar even worked that way in his language. Maybe it meant something else when you put those two words together? Anything to keep the thought of him liking you out of the picture. You knew that couldn't be right.   
  
Or could it?  
  
~❤~  
  
You were in the car, cursing yourself for not getting your driver's license when you had the chance. The silence was killing you. The question was burning your tongue, but you didn't want to seem like an idiot for getting it wrong.  
  
Your heart was beating fast now, as the possibility that he reciprocated these feelings danced past your thoughts. Your face grew red from thinking he might be able to hear, and he reached for the radio the same time you did, turning it on. You sighed and pulled your hand back. "Thank you, Ludwig."  
  
"Gern geschehen."  
  
"Ludwig, how do you say 'you' in German?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"No reason."  
  
"It depends on the context. How about you give me the sentence and I'll translate and explain."  
  
"Uh... I didn't really have one... Could you maybe teach me after work?"  
  
"Ja, sicher. As long as you have the energy."  
  
"...Okay."  
  
Maybe he was just going to say "I love that dress."  
  
~❤~  
  
After reaching the site, you got out of the car and waved at Ludwig from the side. He rolled down the window and motioned for you to come closer.  
  
"Ludwig, I'm going to be late..."  
  
"It won't take long."  
  
Ugh. If it wasn't for that accent... You approached him hastily, and he gently pulled your face towards him with a hand supporting your head.  
  
You closed your eyes and your lips met in a sweet kiss. His lips were softer than you thought they would be...   
  
As quickly as it came, the caress of his hand on your neck was gone before you could blink twice, he had released you.  
  
"L-Ludwig..."  
  
"Call me when you need to be picked up, liebling."  
  
"L-Liebe...?"  
  
You could see a slight blush on his stoic face as he closed the car window and drove off. A coworker approached you shortly afterwards, fixing a small, pink flower in her light brown locks. She had a thermos full of coffee with her. The morning shift always needed coffee before interviews.  
  
"Your boyfriend is so cute, _____!! How long have you been going out?"  
  
"A-ah... Thanks, Elizabeta..." You said flustered, "But he's not my boyfriend..."  
  
"Mhmm~I'm sure he isn't. Do you speak German, _____?"  
  
"No..." You blushed at what she was implying about your relationship with him. "Do you speak German?"  
  
"Oh, just a little. My husband speaks German. He's Austrian, you see."  
  
"Ah..." You said dismissively. Then it hit you. "Ah!! Elizabeta!!! What does 'liebe' mean??"  
  
She giggled at your enthusiasm, "It means 'love.' Did your honey use it on you some other time?"  
  
You blushed at the memory. "Well... He was trying to say something to me when I left my place this morning... It was like, 'ich liebe,' but he didn't get to finish."  
  
"'Dich'?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"'Ich liebe dich'? It sounds like he was trying to confess to you, darling. Not to mention he called you his sweetie a few minutes ago."  
  
"H-he did?"  
  
"'Ich liebe dich' means 'I love you.'"  
  
"Love..?"  
  
"And 'liebling' means 'darling' or 'sweetie.'"  
  
"He called me that!?"  
  
"Right after you shared a heartwarming kiss." She said, smirking as she sipped at the thermos in her hand.  
  
You covered your face in embarrassment; you knew someone was going to see it! Why hadn't you been more careful? Did Ludwig still think you had a stalker?  
  
"I know just the fix for your problem, by the way."  
  
You lowered your hands a bit at the tone in her voice. "F-fix?"  
  
"Jealousy."  
  
Jealousy? Were androids even capable of that? "I'm listening."  
  
"First of all, call him up."  
  
"Wh-what?"  
  
"Call your honey. Get him on the phone." You hesitated, teetering between believing she really had a fix for this problem or that she was totally punking you. Or even worse, if it was good advice that didn't work on Ludwig.  
  
You dialed the number finally, out of curiosity and the Hungarian woman took the phone from you as soon as Ludwig's voice came on.  
  
"Hello. My name is Elizabeta~ I'm one of _____'s coworkers. Are you Ludwig?"  
  
" _Yes. Where is _____?_ "  
  
"She's interviewing a client at the moment. She wanted me to tell you that she'll be having dinner with someone tonight and she's not sure when she'll be coming home."  
  
"Elizabeta, that's a lie! I have to type up a report tonight!" You whispered through clenched teeth, careful not to raise your voice too high so that Ludwig could hear you. She hushed you briefly.  
  
" _........Alright._ " The loneliness in his voice shone clearly through the receiver and your heart broke into a million pieces.  
  
"Elizabeta, I don't like this idea."  
  
" _Hush, hush_. Hey, you sound pretty upset."  
  
" _..._ "  
  
"You alright there?"  
  
" _Fine._ "  
  
"Alright~ Goodbye~" She hung up with a smile and handed you the phone cheerfully. "There you go!" But you still felt bad about this. Besides, wasn't it weird that you told someone else to let him know? Why couldn't you have just waited until you were free? Dinner was a good many hours away!  
  
Never mind that, he was going to come over and drop off a key and see that you weren't working. Then what would you say? You wanted to talk to him; you always wanted to talk to him. But this... This complicated things.   
  
"Well, you sure seem miserable. What's bothering you?"  
  
"Is it really okay to lie like this?"  
  
"People lie all the time. Besides, the plan worked! Did you hear how dejected he sounded?" She was smiling, giving a small clap of excitement for you, but you couldn't brig yourself to join her.  
  
"Yeah, it was painful. Do people really do things like this?"  
  
"Oh hush now, _____. Everything will come together in the end."  
  
"Besides, who's my date for tonight? I can't just go walking around to pass the time or something, he'll know something's off!" Probably just by the smell of your clothes or something. It would be pretty noticeable if you went to a smoke-free restaurant but you smelled like you were walking in front of cigarette smoke.  
  
"Relax, relax. Look, I'll introduce you to someone later. For now, we have an interview to weasel in." You nodded weakly in response and followed after the brunette towards the surrounded building. Hopefully, you'd get a scoop today. If only to take your mind off of things.  
  
~❤~  
  
"_____, this is Gilbert. Gilbert, _____."  
  
The silver-haired man shook your hand and winked. "Sehr erfreut." To which you smiled back. Great, he was also a German... It was the end of the day and the last of the day shift employees were heading home. You, Elizabeta, and her friend were walking to the restaurant she had made reservations for and discussing the big plan.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm an awesome fake date." His red eyes gleamed with an energy that was hard to argue with. He was cute. Charming, even. But then again, nothing could top the German droid that you had at home. You weren't much for the playboy types anyway.  
  
"Rodrich and I have plans tonight, but just let Gil guide you through the date. I'll keep my phone on for you."  
  
"I'm still not sure about this..."  
  
"Don't worry, frau! This'll be awesome!" The silver-haired man chimed in. He put a comforting hand on your shoulder and pulled you closer. The intimacy made you a bit uncomfortable for some reason; maybe because it was all for show. (Or maybe because he wasn't who you wanted touching you.) You took your phone out and texted Ludwig. There was already a text from him that you hadn't seen before. It was about fixing up the paper. It seemed he cleaned it up for you and sent it to Rick. You smiled in relief; hopefully you hadn't written anything too strange, though. That would have meant he read it...  
  
 _Leaving for the restaurant now. Make sure that you fuel up, too._  
  
Elizabeta and Gilbert continued to talk about things that happened that day while you walked silently under the taller man's arm. They didn't seem to notice that you were texting the other German; even though they had told you not to talk to him until you got home that night.  
  
You smiled to yourself as you felt your phone vibrate in your hand.

  
_I will. Have fun._

_I'll try. The date does not bode well._

There was a longer pause between your message and his response this time. You almost thought he wasn't going to text you for the rest of the night.

_Rendezvous?_

You stared at the text message, the cursor blinking in the space for your reply. You had to look at your coworkers, feeling scandalous about suddenly wanting to ditch the plan with this new text. Even though you were never really on board with it to begin with.

_If you have a plan..._

You didn't receive another text from him, which forced you to be seated with Gilbert in one of the middle most tables of the high-ceilinged restaurant. Other couples chatted casually around you in formal clothing, which was alienating. You had placed your orders, a bottle of wine sitting between you and the silver-haired man. You had to drink some wine to calm your nerves. What if Ludwig was just messing with you? Or if he wasn't the one that sent that message?

"So how long have you been living with him?" Gilbert raised a suggestive eyebrow, obviously very aware of almost every aspect of your relationship with Ludwig. Your wine almost came out of your nose.

"A-a-all of three months, I guess." You replied, wiping your mouth and nose.

"Have you... You know?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

You put up your hands in front of his face. Shaking them in tune with your head. "No, no, no!! We just... Well... He cleans the house and stuff, and listens to my problems and stuff—"

"Und stuff? Sure." He said, unconvinced. Moving in closer, he put a hand on your arm and whispered. "What do you do at night, though?"

"I-I-I don't like how you're saying the question. We don't DO anything."

"You're very unconvincing, frau. Honestly, a man who's honestly in love with you couldn't share the same roof with you and not have the need to bed—" There was a loud crash behind you, where you saw a man—blonde, wearing a red dress shirt—had tripped on a waiter's standing tray. He had gotten up and was—drunkenly, it seemed—picking up the pieces of broken china, until he saw you.

"L-Ludwig?!"

"Liebe..."

"What are you doing here?" He sent you a furtive wink before continuing his act.

"You can't replace me with him." He said, staring intensely at the man still touching your arm.

"N-no, I wasn't—" Innocently, you put a hand on Gilbert's back. "Gil is just a coworker—"

The android pointed at you accusingly. "Don't touch him like that!" He snapped. You jumped at the tone in his voice and pulled away with a jolt. You had never seen him like this. How intimidating! And at the same time... Somehow cool.

Walking forward, he stopped and towered above you at the table. The pungent smell of alcohol hung heavy in the air, almost like he had poured a bottle of liquor on himse... Wait, could androids get drunk?

"We're leaving." He said briefly, taking your hand and pulling you up harshly.

"Ludwig!"

"I'll take responsibility! Just..."

"You'll..."

"Be mine."

"..." Your mouth hung wide open as you stared into his eyes. It was all an act, but there was something about how he looked at you. It was as if he meant every word. You mouthed thoughtless nothings as he looked at you with great determination.

"I'll never lie to you. I'll keep you safe."

"Lud...wig... That's too much." You said, looking away. This was what people said when they loved each other. He didn't love you that way, this was an act..

"I'm serious, _____."

"I can't... I can't tell where the lie ends and the truth begins."

"I'd never lie to you." He said, caressing the side of your face with his knuckles. He gently tipped your face to look at him, looking deep into your eyes once more. He cupped your face in his, brushing a few strands of hair out of your face. "Truthfully, I knew you were trying to make me jealous." You pouted in response, embarrassed at your own foolishness. Your eyes flickered to the side.

"You weren't supposed to know..."

He chuckled heartily. "You're so cute, _____." He said with a boyish grin. "It worked. Even when I knew it was a trick, I still got jealous." Your eyes landed on his handsome features once again with this new information that had been brought into the light.

"You... You were?"

"I was angry because... I thought that you were trying to distance yourself from me." He said, expression thoughtful. You listened carefully, intrigued. "I drank a bit... Then you texted me. And I realized that a fancy restaurant didn't sound like you." You smiled. "I wanted to save you—but even when I suggested it, I didn't want to come."

"I'm sorry..."

"Nein, it was because of me. I knew I would end up doing something... Drastic."

"Wow, you look gorgeous tonight." Lost in each other's gaze, you forgot about the restaurant backdrop as you stood on your toes and he bent down to kiss you on the lips. There was an urgency to the touch, a fire that you hadn't felt earlier. "This morning... what I meant to say was... Ich liebe dich." He whispered as you pulled away slightly. "Ich liebe dich, _____."

You couldn't help but smile, burying your face in chest as he embraced you tightly. "I love you too, Ludwig."

"Also, I may smell like whiskey for a while." You laughed, tightening your grip on him as he picked you up and twirled you around.

"AHEM." You and Ludwig both gave the albino a look of complete disbelief. "Sorry for being too awesome to forget, but you do realize you and your lady love are causing a scene, right?"

You took a look around at the audience you and your boyfriend had attracted. One that began to clap and holler when the two of you separated quickly and Ludwig dragged you out by your hand. You'd have to remind yourself to thank Gilbert later, but for now you had to focus on not tripping.

  
"Should I ask where you put all the whiskey bottles?"

" _That's top secret information_."


End file.
